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As we’ve mentioned previously, augmented reality (AR) has the potential to shake up the retail/e-commerce industry by letting users experience products digitally, in 3D, before purchasing.
With the introduction of AR Quick Look in Apple’s iOS 12 update, e-commerce giant Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) is using the technology to make it easier for users to visualize goods on the platform. AR Quick Look lets users view objects in AR through the Safari web browser, without requiring a user to download a standalone app.

Following industry trends can sometimes make us forget about the truly amazing, immersive nature of augmented and virtual reality. With that in mind, here is a quick round-up of recent demos and other videos showcasing what the newest technology has to offer.
Varjo - Mixed Reality Real-time Test Shoot
Finnish company Varjo is a creator of cutting edge mixed reality (XR) glasses for enterprise applications.

Last month we put out an introductory article on use cases for AR/VR. In it we outlined some potential ways in which AR/VR might impact industry and individuals. We also tried to provide some examples of how AR/VR technology is being used in the real world today to great benefit.

Tech news outlet, Ars Technica, just published an excellent article on how Apple’s ARKit 2 works and why the company is betting on augmented reality technology as a future growth vertical. Apple has essentially created a set of developer’s tools that drastically simplifies the process for creating AR-enabled applications. The original ARKit launched in 2017 and as Apple puts it, “combines motion tracking, scene capture, advanced scene processing, and display conveniences to simplify the task of building an AR experience.

AR/VR is starting to become a major technology trend with massive implications across global industries. Like many ground-breaking technologies, AR/VR has had its share of fits and starts since first being introduced in the 1990s.
New technologies tend to follow an S-curve of adoption, with an early period of low penetration as the technology is improving, followed by a growth take-off phase, where the technology breaks into mainstream adoption.

Magic Leap, a major AR startup backed by investments from Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), and others, gave guidance for a summer launch of its highly anticipated AR headset. The company has spent 4 years developing the technology and has shied away from giving early demonstrations, however the company offered a brief video overview of the technology in action (see below).
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Augmented reality (AR) advertising is getting it’s first major platform. Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) announced companies will now be able to showcase AR ads in the Facebook News Feed. Users will be given the option to virtually “try on” merchandise, such as sunglasses, by incorporating the user’s face in the ad.

It’s been over two years since the first consumer-quality virtual reality (VR) headsets hit the market. While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive may have ushered in a new era of personal display devices, both still face challenges in terms of adoption. Like any first-generation technology, they offered only a taste of what could be possible.